Single Girls - a fictionalization of Helen Gurley Brown's revitalization of Cosmopolitan Magazine.

By 1965, Helen Gurley Brown had gone from a successful advertising copywriter to an author. Her book Sex and the Single Girl was a groundbreaking hit, speaking to legions of single women. Helen’s next goal was to launch a magazine for these same women, covering topics that had never been addressed before. Instead of getting the go ahead for her new magazine, she was given three issues to revitalize the struggling Cosmopolitan magazine. The talented “Mrs. Brown” assembled an all-female team to bring her vision to life. The rest is publishing history.

John Searles, widely known for his thrillers, has written a highly entertaining fictional account of Helen Gurley Brown's life in Single Girls. It’s filled with nostalgia and snappy dialogue, along with numerous touching stories about Brown’s early years and the challenges of the women she employed to build the magazine. How can you resist a book that includes the line from Gypsy, “Have an egg roll, Mr. Goldstone.” (IYKYK.) Searles worked for Cosmopolitan for over twenty years. Perhaps he will one day share his own tales from the magazine.

Many thanks to Mariner Books for the advance.

Rated 4.25 out of 5 stars.

Historical Fiction.

Publication: July 7, 2026.

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